While the Detroit Lions did address their edge rusher room by signing D.J. Wonnum and drafting Derrick Moore in the 2nd round of this year's draft, you can't help but feel like they could've done a bit more - especially in free agency.
They wanted to clearly reserve some cap space for their impending extensions, with some money already having been doled out to linebacker Jack Campbell. But, their pass rush might still need some work if Moore doesn't immediately click for the Lions, and if Wonnum remains a bit of a non-factor off the edge.
It feels even more annoying that they avoided swinging a bit higher for this room when you see that rival teams did just that. One of those teams, the Washington Commanders, earned some praise from ESPN's Ben Solak for hitting home runs for their defense and edge rusher room by adding Leo Chenal in free agency and, very luckily, being able to draft Sonny Styles.
"Chenal is younger and faster than Wagner, and in new defensive coordinator Daronte Jones' system, he will be used as a rusher from on- and off-ball alignments. But Chenal was a rotational player in Kansas City who didn't spend much time in coverage, and his role in the new defense could be redundant with incumbent Frankie Luvu's ideal job. More was needed."
He added, "Styles hasn't taken a snap of NFL football yet, so I don't want to get over my skis here, but this is a player with revolutionary potential.
Lions rival praised for move that team should've considered making
While taking Styles would've been out of the Lions' hands, free agency still offered some legitimately great options for Detroit for their pass rusher room. Chenal was just one of those options, as the former Kansas City Chief looked good with a larger role while in the AFC West. Others included Jaelan Phillips, Bradley Chubb, or even just retaining Al-Quadin Muhammad on a very cheap deal.
Instead, the team decided to essentially clean house outside of Hutchinson, bringing in Wonnum and Moore as the main competitors for their EDGE2 role. Mind you, there are still some decent options left in free agency for the Lions to snag - Jadeveon Clowney, Cam Jordan, and Joey Bosa all remain unsigned.
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The Lions also have to be hoping that Alim McNeill, who had five sacks in 2023 and 3.5 in 2024 prior to an injury, can get back to his more explosive ways. Tyleik Williams also lurks as a potential riser as a pocket disruptor.
Detroit really had to hone in on this hole in the offseason, especially after letting Muhammad walk. Instead, other rivals seem to have done just that, while the Lions have to wait and see if Moore or Wonnum can replicate the kind of production that Muhammad had in 2025.
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